Issue 174
Issue 174 is the one-hundred and seventy-fourth issue of Image Comics' The Walking Dead and the sixth and final part of Volume 29: Lines We Cross. It was published on December 6, 2017. Plot Negan talks to himself whilst digging up a sunflower. A couple of roamers approach and, instead of killing them, he pushes them to the ground and runs off. He places the sunflower at his wife's makeshift grave. He says that this is his way of honoring her and that he is always thinking about her. He admits that sometimes he wishes he had died and she had lived, as she probably wouldn’t have ended up alone like he has. He fights back tears and returns to his house. Later, he shoots and kills a dog before eating it. He comes across a truck filled with canned food, only to discover they have expired. He spots a barn nearby and investigates. Inside, he finds a baseball bat but leaves without it. The next day at Lucille's grave, he explains that he knows she is dead and that despite naming his baseball bat after her, he cannot replace her but he can replace the bat. He returns to the barn and takes the bat. He comes across some barbed wire and as he is wrapping it around the bat, Maggie and Dante show up. Maggie tells Dante to wait outside before asking Negan if he knows who she is. Negan says he does, and Maggie replies that he knows why she is there. Negan explains he understands that she was angry Rick locked him up instead of killing him and now he is able to roam free. He apologizes for killing Glenn and tells her he won't fight back. Maggie yells that she knows he is trying to get sympathy from her, but she won't fall for it after what he did. Negan tells her it is no act and he has had years to think about his actions. He believed at the time killing Glenn was what he needed to do. It wasn't until Rick showed him the way that he realized what he had done. He says that if Glenn was her Lucille then he feels her pain. Maggie asks if he remembers his wife's face and voice, and Negan smiles as he says he does. Maggie tells him every time she tries to picture Glenn, all she can see is him screaming her name with his skull bashed in and his eye hanging out. And with that, she sees Negan smiling. Negan tells Maggie to kill him as he deserves it. Maggie looks at the bat, and Negan says although it would be painful, he'd understand how satisfying it would be for her. Maggie laments and says she won't kill him, but Negan grabs her wrist and holds the gun to his head. He says he can't live alone like this and starts reminding her about Glenn and his death, begging her to pull the trigger. Maggie refuses to give him what he wants, saying he must live with what he has done as she leaves the barn. Outside, Dante asks if she killed him. Maggie says he wasn't worth it and shoots a couple of roamers before turning and kissing a shocked Dante. As they leave, Negan puts on his jacket and burns the baseball bat, a smile on his face as he walks away. Credits *Maggie Greene *Negan *Dante Deaths *1 dog Trivia *This issue features one of the fewest character appearances, with only three; Maggie, Negan and Dante. *This issue is slightly longer with 24 pages of content than the average issue which has 22 pages. *Robert Kirkman reveals in his original script for Issue 174, Maggie was going to shoot Negan, but then later changed his mind. Category:Media and Merchandise